Promise Me
by Kairi Tsubasa
Summary: Jing is the son of Mineral Town's farmer, Jack. For as long as he can remember, he's been having reoccurring dreams about a mysterious girl, but are these just dreams or distant memories? Whatever they are, he intends on keeping his promise.


**Disclaimer**: I do not in any way, shape, or form own Harvest Moon.

**Author's note: **Originally, this story was going to be a one shot, but the idea I had for the story extended beyond what I had planned, so I had to make it ten times longer.

This story actually began two years ago, but because of the struggle I have with myself over doing things I don't feel like doing, I never updated. I've still been working on this and my other story, Forever Single, since then. I will begin updating regularly now, so I deleted my stories and put them back up for a fresh start. I apologize if you've reviewed in the past. You are welcome to summit a rant about it. I don't mind.

By the way, this is set in Mineral Town, but it's linked to the new Harvest Moon DS game (even though if you get married to any of the FOMT player on the DS version your game ends…that made me sound like a dork).

I would like to acknowledge my sister who edited my many grammar mistakes this chapter. Okay, here's chapter one. Please tell me if this chapter confuses anyone.

**Promise Me**

Chapter One: Dream of Me

"Don't you just love the spring?" The little girl asked giggling as she drifted onto grass. Jing grinned, nodding as he joined her on the grass. She sat up quickly looking down at him with her blue-green eyes. "Thanks for coming to visit me again."

"I had fun…Do you want to meet at the same place tomorrow?" Jing asked, as he looked farther down the hill, to shy to look into her eyes.

The girl gaze turned to her feet as her short blue hair danced in the breeze. "I won't be able to come here anymore, but I'll pinky promise you that I will come and visit as much as I can, ok.?" She lifted her small hand, sticking out her pinky. "Will you promise to wait for me?"

Jing frowned, upset because he would be alone again. He locked his pinky around hers, praying that he would see his friend soon. "I promise."

As she smirked sweetly at him everything seemed to fade away until his vision was black and all he could hear were mummers.

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"Jing get up!" Ann yelled as she striped the covers from the bed. Jing lay there in his boxers huddled up in a ball for warmth. "It's already noon. How late where you up last night reading that book?" She shook her head as she spotted the latest mythology book he had checked out from the library, and started to walk around the room, picking dirty clothes on the floor.

"I think I was up till four or five in the morning…." Jing stated yawning. He gave up on trying to go back to sleep, and got out of bed. Walking over papers, books, and other things he wasn't sure of what it was, he made his way to his dresser and started to search for something descent to wear.

Ann sighed, dumping a handful of clothes into the laundry basket by the door and searching the room more for clothes she might have missed. "Jing, you need to pick up your room. You're an adult now for crying out loud. I'm tried of treating you like a guest at the inn." Setting the last handful of clothes in the laundry basket, she picked it up and headed for the door. "If your going out today, be back by six, ok. Your father should be home by then." She sighed thinking of how lazy her son was as she walked out of the room shutting the door behind her.

After Jing's mother left the room, he changed out of his boxers and put some clean clothes he found in his draw on. He stood in the mirror and examined his messy brown hair, baggy black jeans with extra straps of cloth hanging from the sides to his back pocket, and his favorite faded red sleeveless shirt with the word "Hitsuji" written in bold white letters across the chest area. He smirked thinking, _'Good enough.'_

Quietly, Jing walked out of the house and head for Mother Hill to think. As soon as he left the perimeter of the farm he saw Chloe with her mother Karen walking to the hot springs. Chloe noticed him passing by and waved blushing as they passed. He waved back but didn't stop to talk. He did think she was hot, with her long blond hair and her mother's figure, but that's all he thought of her so he didn't want to lead her on and cause problems. The only other things he saw on his long walk up the hill was lots and lots of trees and plants.

When he arrived he was welcomed by the familiar scent of Moondrop flowers. He sat on his back with his face in the shade for a while just taking deep breathes of the crisp clean air.

Jing watched the clouds pass slowly as he sorted his thoughts. _'I had that dream again, but every time I have that dream it makes me wonder if it was, in some way, real. Even if it is just a dream I'll keep my promise…'_

A few hours passed before Jing left the hill. Once again a little disappointed that the girl in his dreams didn't come up to him and answer all his question of if the promise was real or not.

The sun began to dive behind the mountain by the time he had arrived back to farm. As he came closer to his house he noticed someone out in the pasture with the animals. He would have just ignored it and thought it was his father if her hadn't see a glimpse of blue hair vanish behind one of the cows.

Jumping over the fence, he slowly walked behind the cow he saw the hair disappear behind but didn't see a trace of anyone had been there since the grass was long enough that anything walking in it would leave a trail. He sighed shaking his head thinking how foolish it really was for him to think that any dream would be real.

Turning back, he began to make his way to his house once more. "You promised…that you'd wait," He froze when he heard the soft-spoken words. Looking around, he could her the voice giggle. "You can't see me, huh? Close your eyes…"

Jing obeyed, letting his eyelashes fall over his hazel eyes, taking a deep breath. He was having a difficult time believing that he would be able to see her, but as soon as his eyes fully closed he saw her. He stared at her taking in her different features. Obviously she had 'developed' from his previous dreams, but he was definitely not complaining about that. Her hair flowed down to the middle of her back, pulled behind her by a large dragonfly clip. She had on a forest green tank top, a knee high, matching skirt with lavender trimmings and transparent lavender sleeves that flow to the bottom of her wrists, slightly connected with her silver bracelet.

"I know I'm breath taking, but I need you snap out of it!" He chuckled at her comment as she gave him a cheesy smile before continuing, "I need you to be the night and shining armor and rescue Lela. Darryl is keeping her in his basement, so I need you to go to Forget-Me-Not Valley. Befriend Darryl so he lets you in his basement, and bring her back into the ocean."

Jing lifted his eyebrows. She was just as weird as he remembered. "Wait a minute, I still don't remember your name and your already asking me to do you a favor."

"I never told you my name…it's Jasmine, but call me Jazz. I like that nickname, it's awesome." Jing could only laugh and shake his head from how bubbly and proud she stated this fact.

"Ok Jazz, why am I doing this?" Jasmine not only laughed at the sound of her nickname, but at his question as though he had just told a hilarious joke.

"I…can't believe…you actually…bough that!" She cried out trying to catch her breath in between words. She took a deep breath before continuing, "I can't stay much longer, but I will visit again soon. Hopefully next time, it'll be in the flesh."

"In the flesh?" The image of Jasmine faded ghastly under his eyelids as a confused Jing shouted, "Wait!" His eyes opened uncontrollably, realizing that he wasn't at the farm, but on Mother's Hill! Jing, plopped side ways on top of the grassy knoll, wondered if he would ever see her again.

'_I fell asleep …'_ Jing thought as he sat up and stretched, _'I'm going to go insane if I keep having these realistic dreams.' _He looked at his watch only to find that it was three o'clock. _'I should go to the library and return my book. That book took me awhile to read so I haven't been there in a really long time...'_

Rubbing his eyes, he walked down the hill captivated but how the scenery and the wind blended together making everything mystical. After passing the farm, he tried to carefully walk to the library without being seen, but Cliff had seen him while he was checking the grapes. At least he was the only person that had spotted him.

"Hey Jing, how have you been?" Cliff smiled as he stood up and waved from the winery while Jing passed.

Stopping only briefly he replied, "Fine, but I keep having those weird dreams."

Cliff frowned knowing all to well how the dreams affected him. Jing and Cliff were very good friends. Cliff told him about how happy he was that Ann had married Jack yet how lonely it made him feel, and in return Jing told him about the girl in his dreams, how it affected him while he was wake, and why he wouldn't tell his parents about it.

"I can see you're in a hurry so come back here around five and we'll chat then, ok?" Jing yelled "thanks" before running to the library.

Jing made it, this time without anyone spotting him. "Good afternoon Jing." Mary smiled sweetly behind the counter. Of all the mothers in Mineral Town, he didn't have to worry about Mary trying to hook him and her daughter, Ruby, up. She was too shy to do it and we are already good friend anyway.

Peeking from behind one of the back shelves, Ruby smiled to her friend. "Haven't seen you in a while. Did you finally finish that book?" For the next two hours they had fun discussing the latest mythology book Jing had read and the newest book her mother was writing. Jing enjoyed talking to Ruby because she wasn't noise like most of the other girls, like her mom, and she was great to look at. She had brunette hair her grandfather's that fell slightly passed her shoulders, her grandmother's figure, glasses, and original soft green eyes. The combination made her look intelligent and cute at the same time.

Finally Jing decided that it was about time he should leave. "Well I'll come back soon to return my book and get another. See you later Ruby, bye Mary. Tell Gray I said hi." Jing called on his way out the door.

"See you." Ruby waved as she return to the books in the back shelves. She took a red hardback book with no pictures off the shelf and a letter fell out of it. Ripping the letter in two she whispered to herself, "It's a lost cause. He will only ever see me as a good friend."

Remembering the conversation he had earlier with Cliff, he headed to the winery. Waiting a few minutes outside, Cliff finally came out of the house and waved at Jing. "Sorry you had to wait. So what happened in your dream this time?" He didn't waste any time getting to the point as they walked to get towards the inn.

"I was walking home from Mother's Hill and saw someone behind one of the cows that were out so I went to go check and no one was there. I heard a voice whisper to me in the wind, 'You promised you'd wait.' The voice told me to close my eyes and I saw her, even talked to her, but she said she had to go again and maybe next time we could meet in the flesh. After that I woke up on Mother Hill." Jing normally didn't say that much at one time but when he was around Cliff he knew that he would quietly listen and not judge him when he talked. To him, Cliff was like a second father.

"Well, I wish I could tell you that these went just dreams, but it sounds kinda realistic to me. It sort of reminds me of how mysterious the Harvest Goddess is…you should probably go home now. Ann is going to yell at you if you don't get home before Jack." His voice softened as he spoke of Ann and Jack. It made him really sad to know his older friend would never marry because the only woman he wanted couldn't be his.

"Thanks Cliff, see you tomorrow." Jing smiled as he headed home. The words mysterious like the Harvest Goddess rang in his head. _'She is a Goddess to me…'_

As he entered the farm, he could see his father heading towards the door and Jing yelled to him. "Wait, Dad!" Jack stopped just as he was about to reach the front door with a questioning expression aimed towards Jing. "Mom wanted me home before you." He said as he rush ahead his dad. Jack walked behind Jing grinning at how energetic his son still was.

"Finally, I thought you two would never get here." Ann stated smiling as she put the rest of the dinner on the table. Jing went into his bedroom knowing that his parents would be making out in the dinning room. If Jing didn't go to his room right when his dad got home everyday they would just make out in front of him. That would really grossed him out, not to mention it made him sad to think of just how right Cliff was about how in love they are.

Jing left his room five minutes later, not being able to wait any longer since he realized while he was in his room that he hadn't eaten today. Ann and Jack were sitting at the table eating and laughing at the same time when Jing entered. They both became silent and Jack swallowed his food. "Jing, before you start eating I have an important question to ask you." Jing sat down and quietly listen. "What do you plan on doing now that you are an adult?

Shoving a couple rice balls in his mouth, Jing pondered on what he wanted to do. The question had never accrued to him. He sat there chewing for a while then finally swallowed before talking. "Well to tell you the truth, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it, but I know I don't want to leave town."

Ann sighed and went back to eating as Jack confronted his son. "You can take over the farm if you want, but I need you to make a decision by the end of this year. Your mother and I don't want you to be dependant on us."

That was the last thing said throughout the whole dinner. Even though the rice balls and curry his mom made might be his favorite foods, he couldn't enjoy it for his mind was trying to think of what he wanted to do with his life.

After dinner, Jing couldn't bring himself to fall asleep, so he picked up the book he just checked out at the library today and read. It was well past midnight before his eyes lids shout, unable to bear the weight any longer.


End file.
